Opinion on selecting a $15k used Sedan

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How does OTD work in your state? What kind of taxes you pay before you can walk out? In Mass, we pay sales tax ($$$$) + the usual doc fees ($$$) and then get the excise bill ($$$$) in the mail!

I do agree with you that unless you get stellar deal from GM, between similarly priced GM vs Honda, it would be difficult for *me* to select GM. That is just the personal preference though as Cruize and Focus are as competent as Civic and Corolla these days and there is NO LOGICAL reason to prefer one vs another solely on the manufacturer's previous reputation.
 
Just my own personal opinion but for me there is no GM product I would pick over a same category Honda product with all other conditions being equal. Honda products are not perfect, but the quality and engineering that goes into them is difficult to beat for the price point at which they sell. We currently own 2 Mazda's, 1 Toyota, and 1 Lexus but we have owned multiple Hondas and Acuras in the past. I haven't owned a GM car since owning a '79 Grand Prix which was junk. That experience cured me of GM forever.

Some very smart people love GM products and have great success with them, me, I won't even accept GM product as a rental car only there is no other choice except Chrysler - I hate Chrysler products even more than GM : )
 
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If a person has a grudge against an automaker going back all the way to a single '79 model. And just some kind of disliking in general for the brand and won't even rent one, I don't see how they are knowledgable enough about the brand or fair mind enough to make comparisons or to not recommend one.
 
I want GM and Ford cars to be as good after a few years as they are off the showroom floor, really....

Buying a 3-year old used car would give you a good idea how the car should hold up down the road...whether it's a GM, Ford, Honda or Toyota...drive a bunch before deciding on any brand or model...

As an aside...my own used car buying strategy has changed in this century...I used to consider 3/4 years and 50k miles and $10-12k the sweet spot.

...but with cars made in this century I've upped the miles to 80-90k and 6-7 years on the road as the most cost-efficient @ $8-10k...unless you get lucky and find that cream-puff and pay a bit more, or the car no one in your market wants and get it for a bit less...this century's cars seem tight, and rattle/squeak-free...and...

...the $5k difference here would cover a LOT of expected preventative maintenance and any unanticipated repairs over the next 100k miles...
 
I walked away last night with no deal being made. This Honda dealer monitors 40,000 car websites/hour and tracks selling prices of new and used cars. They then post a new "no hassle" price on the car that changes daily.

The seller wouldn't even come down $200.

A girl I graduated with works in their finance department and so I'm calling her this morning and see if she can sweeten the deal any. I'm threatening to walk away if nothing gets better. Both Accords I looked at ($14,500 for a 2010, 32K miles, base model: hubcaps and no power seats) and one I linked before for $15,500 have been on the lot 60 some days each. They are headed to the auction block soon (according to my salesman).

I'm thinking of purchasing a bumper-to-bumper 100K mile warranty. ...maybe she can give me a deal on this. We'll see.
 
Two quick questions:

1.) Will the computer on these 2010 Accords save their oil change histories on them? Can I ask the salesmen to have their garage download when the oil was changed in this car? Makes me a bit nervous, because the dealer changed the oil when they took it in on trade. I just wanna make sure someone didn't put 30K miles on the factory fill.

2.) I'm thinking of purchasing a 100K miles bumper-to-bumper warranty with this car. Good idea or not?
 
The extended warranty is kind of a gamble.

Your car makes it to 100,000 miles without a breakdown? All you really bought was peace of mind.

It might be worthwhile to just take the amount of money the warranty costs and set it aside. Don't touch it. If something breaks, you got the money to fix it. Nothing breaks, you get to take a vacation with your reliable 100,000 mile car and a fair amount of money

Not all warranty underwriters are created equal. There was one I liked dealing with....can't remember the name now - insurance company name like Allstate or something - anyway, I would call them and a very loud and brash man would answer, "JUST SEND ME THE INVOICE!!!!" "APPROVED!!! I'LL OVERNIGHT YOU THE CHECK!"

Other companies will deny you for anything they can. "Oh, you did all your own oil changes and have the dated receipts with a picture of the odometer attached? Not good enough." They would deny everything. Owner neglect. Not covered under paragraph 56 subsection (d). Whatever....they always had an out.

I actually used the warranty on my Chrysler.(bought with 4000 miles on it) It was an odd warranty though. 6 years 80,000 powertrain and 5-50 on other major components. You get Lifetime, or you get 80K. Chrysler just wasn't doing that 100,000 mile thing
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Took the car in for a free rotation and they, "found the rack and pinion leaking". It never left a single drop on the garage floor and I never had to top off the reservoir but they insisted that it was leaking. They replaced the rack and pinion free of charge, gave us a loaner car, and then charged us for an alignment. Man, they did a lot of work to sell us an alignment.
 
I didn't say this yesterday since you were going to buy it, but since you didn't, that is one ugly car. They did you a huge favor not selling it to you - it's the worst generation Accord painted barney purple and not well equipped.

Take a look at the Carfax, it sat on another lot for months and since they couldn't move it they took it to auction.

I don't understand buying a used car + an extended warranty. You're into new car territory at this point, and can get something brand new that you know the history on rather than an overpriced off lease car. You buy new and in 3 years you have a 3 year old car. You buy this for the same price, and in 3 years you have a 6 year old car.

To me the savings for used over new just isn't there, especially if you are second guessing and considering an extended warranty.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin
I walked away last night with no deal being made. This Honda dealer monitors 40,000 car websites/hour and tracks selling prices of new and used cars. They then post a new "no hassle" price on the car that changes daily.

The seller wouldn't even come down $200.

A girl I graduated with works in their finance department and so I'm calling her this morning and see if she can sweeten the deal any. I'm threatening to walk away if nothing gets better. Both Accords I looked at ($14,500 for a 2010, 32K miles, base model: hubcaps and no power seats) and one I linked before for $15,500 have been on the lot 60 some days each. They are headed to the auction block soon (according to my salesman).

I'm thinking of purchasing a bumper-to-bumper 100K mile warranty. ...maybe she can give me a deal on this. We'll see.



I wouldn't recommend the warranty. There's NO reason a Honda can't make it to 100K without major problems. Plus, they always have creative reasons to void the warranty.

And yes, there are a lot of dealers that will just let the car sit on the lot for years.

Take a look at this focus: Focus . Last year, I went along with a friend to look at this car. They would not come down a DIME.

It's a nice car, he has service history for it. But $10,990 is TOO MUCH for a (then) 3 year old Ford Focus. A year later, he has not sold it (because it's so overpriced) and it still has the same price on it.

I bought one of these new. I paid $13K for mine. No doubt, as a rental, he easily made $6K on it for 52,000 miles ... why not sell it, take the profit and invest in something else?

I guess I don't understand it.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
I want GM and Ford cars to be as good after a few years as they are off the showroom floor, really....


2010 Taurus SHO, first year for the model and powertrain. Bought in Dec 2009 and now at 58k (almost 59k). No real issues with it. Couple little things - sensor, flaking tail lights (common issue), but no show stoppers. Similar things for every brand new model of every make. Still puts a smile on my face every day and turns heads.

No reason it shouldn't be good for at least 150k.
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
Of all the "Japanese" brands Honda pays the most attention to ease of maintenance/repair. And in the unlikely event anything went wrong with a component, inevitably when so many are sold annually, there are plenty around the country that have suffered accidents and are being parted out by salvage yards. No worries whatsoever.


Really? Why are Honda disk brakes so much harder (and different) to service than any one else out there? The basic stuff is simple no matter who makes it. There is nothing "magical" about Honda's engineering - it's middle of the road. There are lots of issues with Hondas - glass transmissions, poor brakes, bad interior design, etc.

Never got the Honda love. They are middle of the pack automobiles, always have been, probably always will be. If you look at most quality surveys (JD Power, CR, etc) you will find Honda has always been middle of the road. But they are percieved as premium. Been in and dove a few and they are not as well made as some would think. Not junk but not great either. Then again perception <> facts.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin
2.) I'm thinking of purchasing a 100K miles bumper-to-bumper warranty with this car. Good idea or not?


Fine idea, but don't pay dealer "list" for it. The dealer offered us a b2b warranty on our '08 CR-V for something like $1100, and we paid $600 for it, through negotiation. The dealer still made money on it, but I figured that $600 was an acceptable value. $1100 is not an acceptable value to me.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Why are Honda disk brakes so much harder (and different) to service than any one else out there?


They are? I sure haven't seen that with ours. Both of our cars use standard sliding calipers (though they do use dual-piston calipers), standard hardware clips in the caliper mounts, standard caliper mounts. The rear discs are hats which slide over very standard parking brake shoes. Very basic stuff, and very easy to service.
 
The warranty I'm looking at is a 5 year/120,000 B2B through Honda Care.

This includes car rentals if needed for repair and even lodging if you are out of town and need your car to go to the shop.

I'm sure the dealer will want $1500 or more for this warranty, but there are a few online guys (Honda Dealers) selling the Honda Care Extended Warranties for much cheaper. I can obtain this 5 year/120k B2B for about $950. Not too bad. I know it's a gamble, but for this long of a warranty, it might be worth it. I'll hit 120k long before 5 years.
 
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Why are Honda disk brakes so much harder (and different) to service than any one else out there?


They are? I sure haven't seen that with ours. Both of our cars use standard sliding calipers (though they do use dual-piston calipers), standard hardware clips in the caliper mounts, standard caliper mounts. The rear discs are hats which slide over very standard parking brake shoes. Very basic stuff, and very easy to service.


My mistake. I thought I remembered them being quite a bit different. A quick search found about the only thing different is their insistent use of screws to hold the rotor down which is quite different than most's press fit method.
 
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